It may seem hysterical to mount a boycott of a mid-market chicken chain, and, predictably, the protesters have been accused of middle-class nimbyism. Why is this tired accusation thrown around whenever a community tries to preserve local distinctiveness? I'm not embarrassed to have signed the petition.

Stoke Newington Church Street, the intended site, is one of a dwindling number of shopping streets that is almost entirely populated by local, independent shops and restaurants (OK, there's a Fresh & Wild, but we protested against that, too). The arrival of one huge chain, willing to pay a premium price for its spot, will push the rents up for all the businesses, driving them out and opening the door for the next multinational, and the next.

The existing independent restaurants are doing a great job - the mix of cuisines and the generally reasonable prices are important in an ethnically diverse and economically deprived borough like Hackney. Take Rasa, one of a group of eight Indian restaurants specializing in Keralan cuisine. At the original vegetarian branch on Church Street, starters are less than £3, mains less than £6, and they are a long way from homogenised curry house fare.

Stoke Newington has long been a home to religious, political and artistic radicals, offering an alternative to the mainstream. While no-one would suggest it's particularly edgy these days, it has managed to retain a thriving counter-culture, embodied by its free-thinking local magazine. If the chain stores colonise even this bastion of independence, where will we be free of them?

I also take issue with Nando's itself. Sure, their chicken is probably healthier than a lot of fast food, but what about provenance? While they refute the term 'broiler chickens', Nando's concedes that its flocks are 'indoor-reared'. This hardly fits with the values of residents who have made London's first all-organic farmers' market a resounding success.

Nando's also, apparently, doesn't see itself as a restaurant chain. With more than 30 new restaurants opening in the UK every year, however, I have to disagree. Their website boasts that branches are 'spreading like wildfire around the world', with Nando's now found on five continents. I find the idea of indentikit food at the four corners of the earth inherently depressing.

So should I, and hundreds of other protesters, really be so bothered about all of this, or should we have more important things to worry about? In an era of rising food prices and global shortages, it may seem trivial. Then again, the average consumer is powerless to avert a world food crisis, but we all have a voice in our local communities.

Have you fought against corporate giants in your local area? Or maybe you welcome the low prices and familiarity of chain restaurants. At least if we kickstart a debate, we might decide what we want in our communities - that is, if it's not already too late.